Want to earn a college varsity letter in freeskiing or mountain biking? Westminster's the place

SALT LAKE CITY — When freeski athlete Casper Lemley dons Westminster University's purple and copper in intercollegiate competition this season, he'll do so enjoying all the resources offered to his fellow Griffin student-athletes on, say, the basketball or soccer teams.

Lemley has full access to the school's varsity weight room — along with the athletic department's team of professional trainers, sports psychology sessions and, yes, scholarship money.

He's a full-fledged Westminster varsity athlete.

"Freestyle skiing is such a physically demanding sport, so it's amazing to be able to get worked on by our athletic trainers and have gym sessions with our team," he said. "That's been really beneficial for my skiing — and for representing Westminster."

The Bozeman, Montana, native is part of the Salt Lake City school's growing Mountain Sports Program — a collection of varsity teams fully sponsored by the Griffins' athletic department.

Westminster's men's and women's Alpine ski teams compete in the NCAA DII Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association. The freeski and snowboard teams, meanwhile, will vie for titles against other colleges in the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association.

And now Westminster's Mountain Sports Program is expanding to include competitive climbing and mountain biking — signaling the school's commitment to supporting intercollegiate athletic competition commensurate with Utah's outdoor sports culture.

"Expanding our outdoor or mountain sports program opportunities aligns with our institutional priorities, student interest and the numerous recreational opportunities and training venues located within close proximity to our campus," noted Westminster athletic director Shay Wyatt in an email.

"Increasing our athletics and recreational sports program opportunities enhances the overall Westminster student experience, provides students more competitive opportunities at the collegiate level and assists our university's student recruitment and retention efforts," Wyatt said.

Championing outdoor sports collegiate competition

Westminster's Alpine ski and snowboarding teams have been competing for more than a decade — attracting winning talent from across the globe.

"Due to the success of those two programs, we have developed great opportunities for snow athletes at Westminster University," said Sara Beaudry-Wiltse, program director for the Griffins freeski and snowboard teams.

Responding to many calls for sports expansion at Westminster, the school organized the freeski team and begins competing this academic year.

Now Westminster is seeking coaching and athletes to fill out its maiden rosters in climbing and mountain biking. Both teams will begin competing in the 2025-2026 academic year.

"It's been exciting to have these opportunities to not only bring new athletes to Westminster, but also to be able to provide these opportunities to athletes who are already at Westminster," said Beaudry-Wiltse.

"It's the power of place. Our campus is about 30 minutes from nine different ski resorts, so we have incredible opportunities because of where we are located to pull in a lot of fantastic athletes — and we'll continue to do so," Beaudry-Wiltse said.

The region's outdoor sports opportunities, she added, attract a particular class of college athletes who want to compete at a high level while also pursuing a high-quality education. "Westminster is in a fantastic spot to be able to do that — and no one else around us is really doing that."

The Griffin athletes competing in the Mountain Sports Program disciplines signal the growing interest in outdoor sporting events that fans typically associate with the Olympic Games.

"When we go to national championships, there are over 3,000 athletes competing in multiple disciplines such as freeski, snowboard, Nordic ski, and representing hundreds of different schools," said Beaudry-Wiltse. "It's a fantastic collegiate event with a lot of diversity and energy from schools across the nation."

Beaudry-Wiltse added that the Westminster athlete community is excited to see mountain biking and climbing join the fold. "We will be able to cheer each other on and be advocates for each other."

For a freeskier of Lemley's skill, Westminster is proving to be the ideal locale to compete and represent the school while pursuing a finance degree.

"I just really like the environment here," he said. "I enjoy the smaller campus and also having more one-on-one connections with professors, which is really important to my education."

Being a student-athlete and competing for his school against others in an adrenaline-fueled, acrobatic sport such as freesking "has been amazing," he said, "And it's nice to be included in something bigger than yourself."

Beaudry-Wiltse is confident Westminster will continue its emergence as a power in intercollegiate outdoor sports.

"Our trophy is big — and we always need a bigger one."

Related topics